Media Statement

09 January 2020

President Ramaphosa to host Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali on an Official Visit

President Cyril Ramaphosa will on Sunday, 12 January 2020, host the Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, His Excellency Dr Abiy Ahmed Ali, on an Official Visit at the Union Buildings in Tshwane.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali is visiting South Africa on 11 and 12 January 2020 at the invitation of the President, for bilateral discussions on matters of mutual national development, regional and continental issues as well as international developments.

Informed by historical ties dating back to South Africa’s liberation struggle, South Africa and Ethiopia established official diplomatic relations in 1994, as the basis for present-day political and economic cooperation.

Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali will during the course of the Official Visit attend the governing African National Congress 108th Anniversary in Kimberley in the Northern Cape Province on 11 January 2020.

The objectives of the Official Visit are to further strengthen and deepen the bilateral relations and cooperation between the two nations and to consolidate political, economic and social cooperation. The visit will also explore potential areas of trade and investment for the benefit of both countries in industries such as telecommunications, road infrastructure, mining, agro-processing and manufacturing.

The visit also forms part of the preparation for South Africa’s assumption of a year-long term as Chair of the African Union at the 32nd Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Heads of State and Government in Addis Ababa in February 2020 under the theme “Silencing the Guns: Creating Conducive Conditions for Africa’s Development.”

In this context, the Official Visit will provide an opportunity for the two leaders to discuss issues of mutual concern and interest on peace, security and development.

The leaders will also explore ways to advance the African Union’s visionary and developmental Agenda 2063 and to enhance the two countries’ strategic cooperation in campaigning for the reform of the multilateral institutions.

Media enquiries: Khusela Diko, Spokesperson to the President – 072 854 5707

ISSUED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS AND COOPERATION

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